Sometimes the best way to get a foot in the door of Four Seasons is to hang around outside – just ask Tenley Thompson. As the Resort Biologist at Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, Thompson has the enviable duty of revealing the wonders of what is known as America’s Serengeti to guests. “So many people who visit Jackson Hole have never been off the pavement,” she says. “I take them way off.”

Following in footsteps has never been Thompson’s forte. Her father is a judge back east, her mother and a sister are big-city TV news reporters, and a second sister is a fine-art consultant. “My parents knew I wasn’t bound for a cubicle, so they let me hike every hill,” she recalls of youthful days at the family vacation home near Jackson. “You don’t really know a place until you’ve hiked it.”

With encouragement from locals, including “old woodsman types” who took her under their wings, Thompson learned to track wildlife at a tender age. She was 16 when she had her first experience with wolves and grizzlies, and this event inspired her passion for conservation and animal rehabilitation.

The Resort program Thompson created goes deep into Grand Teton National Park. She typically peruses the wilds on her own and then transports guests at dawn or dusk when animals are most active. Her quarry is the Big Five – elk, moose, mule deer, bison and prong-horned antelope – though given the density of wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, there is opportunity for much more. “I’m one of the most successful guides at finding wolves and grizzlies, but I can’t promise anything. Except that we never have a bad trip.”

Delving into forests and splashing through creeks is all part of the experience. So, too, is Four Seasons style: guests cruise in a plush SUV, use high-end spotting scopes, and dine on gourmet rations – with cookies for the kiddies! – arrayed upon white tablecloths. It’s not all about luxury, however. “The Resort has made a real push toward environmental friendliness, so we work hard to impress the importance of preservation and animal conservation,” says Thompson.

Prior to joining Four Seasons, Thompson spent three years guiding and observing wolves in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. Her sightings of pack movements for research revealed wolves to be a beneficial presence for elk, shifting herd movements and fostering improved fitness by thinning sick and dying animals for food.

Guests can also tap Thompson’s photographic expertise. An award-winning wildlife photographer with a thriving side business, she is quick with tips while encouraging guests to balance their ardor for the perfect shot with experiencing nature with their eyes. “One man had 500 exposures when we came across wolves stalking a bison and her calf. I told him, ‘You’ve got your best shot already, so just watch.’” He thanked her later. The bison were on their own.